A method that provides tactile sensation using vibration has been applied as a method for intuitively providing information in a variety of input devices.
In some videogames, for example, the joystick has an eccentric motor inside that may generate vibration, and provides a user with vibratory stimuli in several situations when a car collides in racing games or an avatar is attacked in combative sports games. From these stimuli, the user may intuitively sense a risky situation in the games.
In cell phones, a vibratory sensation may be used to replace a ring mode with a vibration mode, and demonstrate states of operation such as a keypad manipulation and an alert of battery shortage in an intuitive way. Many trials have recently been performed to subdivide vibratory sensations by structurizing patterns of vibration in different ways using a number of vibratory motors.
For haptic glove for interaction with virtual environments, a user may manipulate an avatar in a virtual environment by the motion of his or her hand through the haptic glove. Further, vibratory devices installed in the part of fingers and the palm of the glove operate properly in accordance to several situations to make the user to be completely immersed in those situations.
These methods for producing vibration have used a method with existing devices that do not distinguish the portions stimulated by vibrations when delivering vibratory sensation to the user's hand. Thus the existing methods are limited in patterns of vibrations for providing information, and have difficulties in representing more sophisticated information such as a spatial position or direction.